


Little Red

by 3ds_Allen



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Angst with a Happy Ending, Lots of Angst, M/M, Pidge and the others are more background characters, and messy, because it's so self indulgent i just don't care, better safe than sorry anyway, keith bites lotor a lot, lotor doesn't know what love is, non con touching?, sheith on the other hand, there is keitor but it's super unhealthy, there's no rape but like, this is very very ooc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 04:55:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11752473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3ds_Allen/pseuds/3ds_Allen
Summary: Keith get's captured, tortured, and broken with the promise of the one thing he wants most.Lotor doesn't know what love is and how to behave.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't entirely compliant with season 3 but there may be characters and stuff from it. Also Shiro in this is definitely our Shiro. I wrote this as a keitor to klance fic back in june but after season 3 I decided to revise it as sheith because why not ya now? Other warnings include drugging/brainwashing, general alien torture methods, sleep deprivation, and starvation.

When Keith opened his eyes he couldn't quite remember what had happened before, nor was he able to tell exactly where he was. His head was aching, even the dim purple lights of the room he was in were too much for his sensitive eyes. He could safely assume he was on a Galra ship of some sorts. He could tell he was laying on his back, as he was staring at the ceiling. He tried to sit up but wasn't able to do more than lift his head, as the rest of his body was restrained to the cold hard table he was laying on. Looking around the room he saw what looked vaguely like hospital equipment. What was probably a large light off to the side, a small table next to the one he was laying on. He didn't like how many of the tools on it looked rather sharp. 

 He laid his head back and tried to remember what had happened before but his thoughts were clouded and foggy. He shut his eyes and tried to relax, but the harder he tried to remember, the worse his head hurt. He kept his eyes shut until he heard the sound of a door sliding open, and then footsteps. He snapped his eyes open, trying hard to sit up to see who was there. He was expecting scary Galra generals, but instead he saw the heir to the Galra empire himself. Prince Lotor approached the table Keith was laying on, a smirk on his face. 

 "Hello my dear half-breed." The prince said, looking over Keith. He could practically feel the prince's eyes boring into him. Keith opted not to respond, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Lotor. He didn't seem to appreciate being ignored, as he leaned down and gripped Keith's jaw painfully hard in his hand. "It's not polite to ignore your prince." He said, a sick grin on his face. 

 "It's not polite to restrain your guests to cold slabs of metal." Keith replied, making sure there was no evidence of fear or anger on his face or in his voice. 

 "My apologies, this will not be a permanent situation." He let go of his face and stood up straight, looking to the table with all the strange tools. "Yes, it's only temporary, I just need to make a few... adjustments to you." He picked up a syringe, looking it over before inserting the needle into Keith's neck.

 Whatever was in that syringe burned as it entered his veins. At first it was just the sting from the needle, but then he quickly felt it through out his whole body. It felt like fire in his veins, he was left wide eyed and gasping.

 "W-what was... that...?" He managed to gasp out, his vision blurring. 

 "Don't worry, it's just what you need right now. The pain is only a side effect." The prince's voice sounded muffled and far away, despite him standing right next to him. He wanted to attack the prince, scream at him, demand more answers on what was going on. But he couldn't. What felt like hours but was only minutes later, the pain ceased, and he blacked out.

* * *

 

 He was equally confused the next time he woke up. He was dizzy, but relieved to find that he wasn't restrained to the table again. He wasn't even sure he was in the same room as before. This one seemed like a small, barren cell. He found that he was still restrained, his arms had been twisted behind his back and cuffed there, and his ankle's had been cuffed together as well. He tried to lean forward but found that he must've been wearing a collar which had him chained to the wall. The clothes he'd been wearing before had been taken, he was left in black pants that had the same fit and feel of leggings. Definitely not what he was wearing before. It made him extremely uncomfortable to know someone must have undressed him while he was unconscious.

 He sat up and leaned against the wall he was closest to, looking around and trying to find some method of escape. That would be pretty hard when he actually couldn't walk, but he could dream. The room was pretty much solid. No way out except for the the door in front of him, and there was no way he was getting that open. 

 He wasn't sure how long he had to wait, but eventually the door slid open and Lotor walked in.

 "Glad to see you're awake my dear half-breed." The prince said, crouching down in front of him. "I'm disappointed to see you still look the same."

 "What do you mean by that?" He asked bitterly. 

 "Do you think I injected something into you for nothing? Never mind that my pet, we will try again a different time." 

 "What were you trying to do to me?" He asked.

 "Don't worry about it my dear, it's nothing to bother with until we try again." The prince spoke softly, gently caressing his cheek.

 "Don't touch me." Keith snapped, trying to move away from him, only to have the prince grab his face. 

 "You're a stubborn little thing. That's no way to speak to your prince." He said.

 "You're no prince of mine." Keith replied with a sneer. 

 "It's a very good thing I've chosen to taken you in. That smart mouth would get you killed sooner or later." He said.

 "Believe me, I would much rather die out there than be anywhere near you." He said. "Besides, what do you mean "taken you in" this sounds a lot more like a prisoner deal to me." 

 "Temporary, my pet." The prince patted his cheek. "I know you won't submit by your own will, and it will take time, but things won't always be this way." 

 "Submit? What do you want from me?" 

 "You ask far too many questions. I'll be sure to get that fixed." Lotor stood up, looking him over once again. He seemed to think about something for a moment, before asking, "What do you remember before waking up here?" 

 "Why should I tell you?" Keith asked. 

 "Little red, I will give you one piece of advice. If you obey, you will not be punished." 

 "And I'll give /you/ one piece of advice. I'm not scared of you." He narrowed his eyes as he looked up at him. The prince smiled at him.

 "Well, I suppose that's another thing to fix." At that moment the door to the cell slid open again, and the prince turned to see who was there. By peeking around Lotor, Keith could see a female galra, one of Lotor's generals. Like Lotor, she was clearly not entirely galra. 

 "Prince Lotor, we need you on the bridge." She said to him. 

 "Yes, Acxa, I'll be right there." He told her, before turning back to Keith. "I'm afraid I must leave you for now my pet, but don't worry, I'll return soon enough." He said before turning on his heel and leaving the cell. The general, Acxa, got a brief glance at him, but she didn't seem too impressed by what she saw, and then the door shut again, and Keith was left with his thoughts.

 It bothered him that Lotor asked what he remembered. He felt like Lotor knew perfectly well that his memory was all blurred and messy. Hell, he was pretty sure that Lotor was the cause of it. It sure wouldn't surprise him. 

 It also bothered him how... gentle Lotor seemed with him. Aside from the whole deal with the syringe and occasionally grabbing his face to hard, the prince had yet to seriously harm him. He'd expected much harsher treatment from the prince. The nicknames, "Little red", "My pet", "my dear half-breed", maybe the first one could pass for some sort of standard pet name, but there was something so possessive about the other's that put him on edge. 

 He was lying when he said he wasn't afraid of him. Normally Keith passed fear and went straight to anger. And Lotor did anger him, the tone he used when he spoke to him, the smirk he often wore, the way he touched him. He made him so, so angry. But it was his tone and the way he touched him that made Keith uneasy. Too soft, gentle, even when he was borderline threatening him, he would speak too kindly, politely, almost condescending. It was typical for a condescending tone to piss him off, but when he spoke that way while caressing his cheek and stroking just behind his ear like one would do to their pet, that bothered him. He hated to admit it at this point, but he was scared of him. Very scared of him. 

 To try and get his mind off the prince, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, trying hard to remember anything from before he woke up here. He had a few vague memories from being in the castle with the other paladins. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He remembered checking on Pidge, as he knew she'd been wrecking her sleep schedule staying up and using what evidence she had to try and find her family. It was an awkward interaction. He knew he had to fulfill this role as leader, Shiro was gone, and it had been left to him to lead this team. He wondered if it would help trying to pay closer attention to the others the way Shiro would have. They were equally uncomfortable so it was easy to get away and sulk off back to his room. Pidge had been right when she said he was a loner. He had been warming up to them throughout the time they'd spent together, and honestly? He enjoyed their company. Yes, even Lance's. Even if he was just standing off to the side, he found comfort in being around them, watching their interactions. And then Shiro disappeared. Again. 

 After going off to his room he remembered... nothing. That was where his thoughts blurred together, and his head started to hurt. No matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't clear up. He had no idea what to do.

 After what had to be hours, Keith found himself getting drowsy, his eyelids heavy, his head hanging low. Somewhere in his tired, confused thoughts, he remembered Pidge programming clocks for each of their rooms to be set to Earth time. Or at least, as close as they could get to Earth time. He'd always had trouble sleeping, usually he would go train or just wander the castle until he finally felt like going to bed. Some nights when Shiro was up late as well he'd spend hours with him in his room. It was typical for him to not get sleepy until two or three in the morning, and then he'd wake up as early as six or seven, wide awake. Maybe it was a useless memory, but he found comfort having some idea of what time it was if his body was still working on his normal schedule. 

 Before he knew it his mind had drifted back to the nights he'd spend in Shiro's room. He'd always been most relaxed around him. It was easier to talk with him, easier to smile and laugh around him. He wanted that back. He wanted that light, comfortable feeling back. He wanted those nights spent alone together back. He wanted to see Shiro's smile again, to lean against him and feel he could really relax, to feel their hands brush each other and blush bright red like a starry-eyed teenager with a crush. 

 By the time he finally drifted off to sleep, he was so deep in thought he almost seemed to forget what was around him, what was happening to him, where he was. All he could think of was Shiro, and for the first time since he'd woken up there, he was almost happy, relaxed even.

* * *

  He was woken up by the sound of the cell door opening. He lifted his head, blinking tiredly. He watched as the Galra prince approached him. He noticed him grasping something in his hand, but he couldn't make out what it was as it was rather small. It quickly slipped from his mind though.

 "Hello my pet." Lotor said, crouching down in front of him. Keith had to take a moment to remember what had been going on, and his expression became one of severe disappointment. He was immediately on edge, his instincts causing him to be ready to attack, even if he was restrained. "Oh? Are you not happy to see me?" The prince asked, a clearly faked pout on his face. 

 "I sincerely apologize if I'm not the epitome of joy right now." Keith said bluntly.

 "Lighten up my dear, I already told you this situation would not be permanent." Lotor reached his hand out but Keith reacted before he could even think about it, catching one of his fingers between his teeth and biting down as hard as he could. In that moment, Keith learned that galra- or half galra- bones were much, much stronger than a humans. It was the first time he'd seen Lotor lose his temper, the prince's expression immediately turning to one of rage, and he quickly wrenched his finger free from him. He may not have broken his bone, but he broke skin, and Lotor was clearly pissed at seeing the blood running down his finger. He took one look at Keith, who found satisfaction in this small act of defiance, and then backhanded him as hard as he could, which was pretty hard, but Keith gritted his teeth against the pain. 

 "Keep. Your hands. Off me." He snarled. 

 "I already warned you half-breed, all you have to do is obey me. Defiance will only bring you pain." Lotor said, narrowing his eyes.

 "Oh please, I've gotten more pain from stubbing my toe than from that pathetic attempt at backhanding me." It really, really had hurt him, but if anyone didn't know when to stop, it was Keith. 

 "Then I suppose I'll have to use more intense methods." His expression changed, his lips curling into an unsettling smile. He stood up, staring down at him. "I'm sure you noticed that lovely collar I gave you. I was only going to explain the punishment, should it be needed, but I suppose it will be better if I just show you." Keith only remembered seeing the small object in his hand again when he actually showed it to him. It was a small rectangular object, with a single button on it. Keith easily recognized it as a remote. He thought to ask what it was for, make some snide comment, just do something, but before he could Lotor pressed the button.

 What felt like electricity- but was possibly some sort of other alien torture method- suddenly coursed through his veins, causing him to scream at the top of his lungs, his eyes wide open, his whole body convulsing. His mind was racing, and the only thing in his field of vision was the prince, grinning down at him. It felt like forever before he finally hit the button again, the volts of electricity ceasing immediately. He was gasping for air, his whole body hurt, his throat already hurting from just how loud he'd screamed, his heart pounding madly in his chest. He was very suddenly desperate to get this thing off his neck.

 "Do you understand now Little Red?" The prince asked, kneeling down in front of him again. "It doesn't have to be this way, if you choose to submit it can be all over." He gently grabbed Keith's chin, but the effects from the electrocution were still strong, even when he was gentle the contact was too much for him and sent Keith into a near panic. The prince clearly enjoyed watching him squirm. He knew it was still hurting him, he knew the most gentle touch would be too much, and he was more than happy to take advantage of that. Keith was able to recover quicker this time, and when he finally caught his breath he smirked at the prince, as weak and worn out as he felt. 

 "I would rather die than submit to you." Lotor smiled at him.

 "Be careful my pet, that can easily be arranged."

* * *

 

  Keith should've learned his lesson, but he was the most stubborn person he'd ever met. The prince continued a cycle of approaching him calmly and kindly, using soft tones and gentle touches. Then, Keith would smirk at him, laugh at him, mock him, and generally send him into fits of rage. Once Lotor made the mistake of going to caress his face again. Keith bit his hand as soon as it was within reach, once again drawing blood. Lotor had skipped slapping him, cursing and activating the collar again. It was still excruciating, even though he expected it. Both him and Lotor knew though, it had lost it's effect. Sure it hurt, but Lotor wasn't getting the reaction he wanted. He realized that he would have to change his methods if he wanted to break him.

* * *

  He woke up to Lotor removing the cuffs restraining his arms behind his back. He was immediately alert when he realized how close the prince was, but as soon as his hands were free he immediately tried to grab him, hit him,  _something_. Lotor was quick though, Keith only succeeded in his fingers just barely brushing through his hair before the prince was out of reach.

 "Relax, my pet, I have no intention of hurting you." Lotor sat down, just out of reach of Keith, next to a tray of food he'd brought with him. "I figured you would be hungry so I brought you something to eat." He slid the tray over to him, and Keith debated whether or not he was hungry enough to eat whatever was on that tray, with his hands no less as it appeared Lotor hadn't bothered to give him any sort of utensils. His stomach growled and he was hit with that dull pain of an empty stomach and he decided, yep, he was hungry enough. He wasn't going to be happy about it though.

 "Why are you feeding me? And being nice to me?" He asked, watching him suspiciously as he ate. 

 "I don't intend to keep you like a prisoner forever." Lotor said. "Besides, I'm sure you'll need your strength."

 "Definitely, I'll need to have the strength to personally rip you to shreds when I get free." He said.

 "I can assure you, by the time you're free that thought won't even occur to you." Lotor smiled, leaning forward. "You never answered me when I asked, what do you remember before waking up here?"

 "And you never told me why I should answer you." Keith shrugged.

 "Then let's make a deal. If you answer my question, I'll answer one of yours." He suggested. Keith thought about it, but then sighed. It's not like he was giving away super important information by telling the prince something as simple as this. 

 "Fine... I don't... remember much..." He said slowly. "I don't remember how I ended up here."

 "Hm. Good." He smiled, making Keith believe even stronger that Lotor knew he couldn't remember. "Ask me your question now." Keith knew he had to carefully choose what he wanted to know, if he was only getting one answer. 

 "What do you want  _me_  for?" He finally asked. It might've made sense to him if Lotor had been harshly interrogating him or something, but all he seemed to want from him was for him to obey.

 "There were a few reasons really. You were leading your team, so now what are they to do without you? I meant to just keep you around, maybe eventually kill you, but I must say, knowing you're a half-breed has definitely improved your situation. You make a truly lovely pet, if only you would stop with that terrible attitude and that nasty biting habit of yours."

 "I can guarantee to you right now, neither of those things are going to stop." He snickered.

 "That's fine. It will only make breaking you so much more fun." The prince stood up. "I'll give you one more chance Little Red. You can give up and submit to me now, or I will use whatever methods deemed necessary to destroy that little mind of yours." 

 "Do your worst." Keith grinned defiantly. "It'll take more than you think to break me."

* * *

 Keith had no doubt that Lotor was serious about his threats. He'd sent guards in to restrain Keith's wrists again, probably because he knew Keith would surely claw his eyes out if he got too close. They'd done it differently than before though. The good news was that his neck wasn't chained to the wall behind him anymore. The bad news was that his arms would pulled over his head and chained to the wall and he was left in an uncomfortable almost slouching position. Lotor had also ordered the guards to put an actual muzzle on him like he was some kind of dog. This pissed him off more than anything. Lotor didn't come to the cell again for that day though. Keith wasn't sure if he was just busy, or if he was planning something much rougher than Keith had been put through before.

 He knew Lotor wasn't coming back until maybe the next day when he found himself getting sleepy again, many hours after the prince had left. He was relieved when sleep came at this point. There was always time in between being wide awake and fast asleep when his mind wandered. It was the only time things around him disappeared, and his mind blocked out everything wrong and terrible happening. More often than not, his thoughts drifted to the other paladins, how they spent their downtime in the castle, their interactions.

 He thought about Lance, the last time he'd really talked to him. Aside from Shiro, he felt most comfortable around Lance. Eventually that whole one sided rivalry thing was dropped, and he actually enjoyed spending time with him. There was some friendly competition here and there, but it was all just for fun now. Their latest competition had been trying to figure out which one of them was taller than the other. Keith was sure that they were both the exact same height but every time they checked there was always some altering circumstance, Keith was taller when he was wearing his shoes and Lance wasn't wearing his, or Lance was taller when Keith was sulking and slouching. The last time they'd talked, Keith had been taller, as Lance had been helping Pidge carry some pretty heavy equipment and was struggling to stand up straight while doing so. They weren't exactly measuring right then, but that wasn't fixing to stop him from tapping his shoulder and going, "I'm definitely taller" as he passed by them. He found it so much easier to be around him now that the competition was all friendly. 

 Just as he was finally falling asleep, a sudden painful jolt from the collar woke him up. It was over almost immediately, but it left him wide awake and shaking. He expected the prince to enter the cell again, but after a while he figured he wouldn't. He calmed down and tried to settle back into sleeping again. He was getting close but once again that stupid collar jolted him awake. He was incredibly bitter but knew there was no way he was getting any sleep if that was just going to happen again. He resigned himself to sit there, forcing himself to stay awake every time he started feeling drowsy again. 

* * *

 

 Lotor kept this up for about four days. Keith hadn't slept at all in four days, hadn't had anything to eat in four days, he was lucky to get something to drink maybe once or twice a day. Lotor didn't even come to the cell during those four days. When the door slid open on the fourth day, he saw Lotor, and two rather average Galra soldiers. They certainly weren't his generals, that's for sure. Lotor told the two of them to "Have fun" and left them in the cell with them. Keith wasn't sure what to expect when they removed the cuffs from his arms and ankles and pulled him up. He was swaying on his feet, too weak to hold himself up. Almost immediately the assault began, and Keith found himself as nothing more than a punching bag for the two soldiers.

 He'd tried to fight back of course, but if one of them wasn't holding him up he wound up on the floor in seconds. He couldn't hold himself up, much less get a real attack in there. He figured that was why they left him alone unrestrained when they finally left. His body hurt all over, his nose was bleeding, there was a deep cut across his chest. He'd tried wrestling that muzzle off but it was completely secure, probably locked somehow.

 Lotor came to see him hours later and Keith had intended to jump up, immediately attack, but he could barely sit up before falling back down, hitting his head on the hard floor. The prince smiled and crouched down beside him.

 "They really did a number on you, didn't they my pet?" He said, brushing his hair out of his eyes. Keith reached up about as quick as he could and grabbed on to his wrist, but he was slow, and his grip was weak. The prince was more amused than anything. Keith glared up at him, wishing he'd had the strength to snap his neck or just do something to harm him. Lotor pushed him so he was laying on his back, easily removing his hand from his wrist as well. He looked him over, eventually directing his attention to the cut across his chest. "This will have to get taken care of..." He murmured, gently running his finger over the still bleeding cut. He glanced at Keith's face, smirked, and then dug his finger into the cut, causing Keith to cry out, tears pricking the corner of his eyes. "I'll have someone fix that for you later. I'm sure you're very tired, and very hungry, so I'll let you rest so you have time to... think about the choice at hand. You already know the deal," He stood up. "If you choose to obey, I'll choose not to hurt you."

* * *

 

 Eventually the wound was healed. Lotor had used one of those creepy druids to do the job. That in itself felt like a form of torture. Then, the muzzle was removed and he was actually fed. They'd made the dumb mistake of leaving him entirely unrestrained. He wondered if it was just from the galra food, but not ling after eating he was already feeling better, more energized. When they came back to get the tray Keith was quick to attack the low ranked soldier. It only took him bashing the soldier's head into the wall a few times to knock him out and then Keith was out of there. 

 He'd sprinted out of the cell and found himself in a long hallway. He knew it was only a matter of time before more soldiers were down there so he had to be quick. He just wanted to find a way out of there, running as fast as he could, turning into random hallways, just hoping to find something. It was inevitable that he ran into a dead end. He was panicked and spun around to run back the way he'd come, but he was greeted by the sight of Lotor, just feet away from him. 

 "I'm impressed." He said, approaching him. Keith was already tense, his hands curled into fists. "You're very stubborn, you know that?" He stopped in front of him and Keith didn't even hesitate, he swung at the prince, he would've been satisfied with just one hit, but the prince was quick, he caught Keith's fist in his hand and grinned at him as he gave a sudden sharp twist. 

 The snap that followed was sickening and painful, and Keith let out a scream, dropping to his knees. It didn't take a genius to know his arm was not supposed to twist like that. It hurt enough that he almost threw up, quickly covering his mouth with his free hand. Lotor smirked down at him. 

 "You're not just stubborn. You're stupid." He said, pulling Keith to his feet by his hurt arm, causing Keith to cry out again. "If that collar doesn't work, and being starved, deprived of sleep, and beaten doesn't work, I suppose we'll have to try something else." He smiled as he dragged Keith down the hall. 

* * *

 

 The prince spent a short time mulling over what to do to Keith before finally making a decision. Keith found himself restrained to what was probably just a table, but it was tilted so Keith was in a mostly upright position, though it was in a different room than the one he'd woken up in. He didn't care that his wrists and ankles had been restrained, the pain in his arm was taking up all of his thoughts. He was breathing heavily, feeling as if he was out of breath. The prince stood before him and looked him over, pleased with the sight before him, before leaving the room.

 He returned moments later with one of those druids, who went straight to a control panel type thing in the corner of the room. Lotor took his place in front of Keith, a smile on his face. 

 "Go ahead." Lotor told the druid, still staring at Keith though. Only a moment later Keith could feel whatever  _it_  was coursing through his body. If he was thinking straight, he would've known not to think it was electricity, probably the same thing shocking him from that collar, just more ten times more intensely. He wasn't able to think though, only scream, his back arching off the table, his eyes wide, his hands curled into fists. When the druid stopped it, Keith struggled to catch his breath, and the prince smiled at him. "Well my dear? Surely you've made up your mind now." He said. Keith took a deep breath, then smiled at Lotor.

 "Go to hell. I'm never going to give up to you." The prince simply gave a look to the druid, who just started the torture up again. Lotor didn't stay this time. He simply told the druid to do whatever they wished before leaving.

* * *

 

 Lotor did his worst alright. Keith was left to the mercy of the druid for hours before Lotor had him thrown into his cell and restrained again. Over the course of what had to be at least a few weeks, Lotor was trying everything he could to break him.He starved him, deprived him of sleep, would have him restrained in uncomfortable positions, would send soldiers in to beat him up, and on one instance, Lotor came to the cell himself with an actual whip and went to town on Keith's exposed chest. Nothing was working. At least, as far as the prince knew.

 Keith on the other hand felt like he was getting closer and closer to breaking, and just the thought of that made him angry. He was tired, hungry, he just wanted to be able to live without this suffering. Every time he came close to surrendering he was overcome with anger and guilt. He'd come so far, he'd grown close to the other paladins and been so happy with their relationships, he'd trained so hard to get stronger, and he'd been trying his best to find Shiro. If he surrendered to Lotor, he knew that would mean giving up on Shiro, and he couldn't do that. But everyday the torture was more and more painful, and he became more and more hopeless. He'd lost track of the days after staying awake for so long, but he'd strongly believed the others would at least be looking for him, he thought it would take maybe a week tops. It felt much longer than that at this point.

 On this day, Lotor entered the cell and approached Keith, who had curled up in a corner of the cell, bound and muzzled like a rabid animal. He glared tiredly at the prince who simply pulled him to his feet. 

 "I have something to show you my pet. I'm sure it will be a lovely surprise." He said, leading him out of the cell. Keith just followed him, looking around wearily as they left the cell. He really just wanted to try and search for an escape route, but everything looked too secure.

 The prince brought him up to the bridge and sat him on the floor, and Keith watched as he messed with the controls. He looked around and found that they were the only two there. Lotor brought up a video on to the screen before sitting down, pulling Keith back by his hair and having him rest his head against his thigh.  

 Keith couldn't quite figure out what he was supposed to be watching, whatever was being used to record this was terrible and the video cut to black after only a few moments. Keith had a lot of sarcastic comments running through his head. And then it started up again, and Keith was greeted by a familiar face on the screen in front of him. Shiro. That was Shiro, restrained to some kind of operating table, surrounded by terrifying Galra, and begging and pleading with them to get away from him. His hair was just slightly longer than the last time he saw him. Keith's eyes were wide and he let out a muffled cry, a weak attempt to yell his name. He couldn't watch them torture the man he cared about so much, but he couldn't look away. If this was recent, that meant one important thing. He was alive, Shiro was still alive, they could still have him back. It was a rather short recording, and when it ended he quickly turned to Lotor. His eyes were wide and tears formed in the corners, his breathing was frantic, and every cry and shout was muffled by that god awful muzzle. Lotor grinned sickly at the sight.

 "You miss him, don't you?" He said, reaching out and gently stroking his hair. "I know where he is you know. He's alive, and I can rescue him if you'd like..." As he spoke softly he reached behind his head with his free hand, unlocking the muzzle so he could speak. "You already know what I want, Little Red. Just tell me what I want to hear, and your love can return home safely." He said. 

 He did it. The prince finally found his weak spot. He finally broke him. Keith barely even thought about it, opening his mouth and taking a shuddering breath. He knew far too well exactly what Lotor wanted him to say.

 "Please... save him. I..." He sighed, accepting his defeat. "I'll submit to you... my prince."


	2. Chapter 2

Keith tried so hard to tell himself this was a good thing. That he could survive like this. 

 The prince's first decision was that his precious pet needed to be more decorated. He'd escorted him to a room deep in the ship and handed him over to the female Galra waiting inside. It was the first time he'd seen a full female Galra before, she was definitely short for a Galra, male or female, and she had simple, short cut hair, her ears poking out from it. She regarded Keith was disapproval, commanding him to take a seat. He didn't really know what to expect but in the end she'd given him quite a few new piercings,almost all pure gold. She'd pierced his ears, giving him heavy red jeweled earrings that hung rather low, a septum ring, an eyebrow piercing, a single lip ring, and in the most uncomfortable interaction, a tongue piercing. She didn't seem to care much when he would whine or squirm.

Once she finished she had removed the cuffs holding his arms behind his back, threatening him that if he tried anything she would personally take his eye out. She went to a rather ornate box sitting on a table and opened it up, taking out what was in it and returning to him. That was when Keith saw they were golden hand cuffs of sorts. They could've passed as simple golden cuff bracelets, but there was a heavy chain connecting the two. Unlock the others though, this did allow him more slack and use of his hands. The female galra instructed him to hold his hands out and he did so, and she cuffed his hands in front of him this time. Once that was done she went back to the box. 

 "I'm sure the prince will want you to change so here you go." She came back and thrust a folded violet cloth into his hands. He stood up to change but he realized that it really was just a long cut of cloth. He had no idea how he was supposed to wear this. She seemed frustrated that he was just staring at it and snatched it from his hands, setting it aside. "Didn't your mother ever teach you to dress yourself? Let me do it for you." She muttered before suddenly grabbing the waistband of the leggings he wore and pulling them down.

 "What the- Lady you can't just do that!" He snapped, hurrying to cover himself, his face already bright red. 

 "Then learn to dress yourself." She said with a nod, grabbing the cloth again and unfolding it. "Now move your hands so I can do this for you."

 "No way!" Keith was not one who liked undressing around other  _at all_. He'd only just started getting used to having to share a shower room with the others, and even then he hated it. "Just turn around and I'll do it!"

 "You don't even know how to." She said, crossing her arms. 

 "I'll figure something out, just give it to me." He said stubbornly. She rolled her eyes and handed it to him before turning around. He found that the fabric was almost entirely see through, which was more than a little unfortunate. After a short while he sighed in defeat. "Okay, I need some help." He said, handing the cloth back to her. He allowed her to wrap it around his waist the correct way, and in the end it wasn't  _as_ see through, but it was still much shorter than he would've liked. He made a mental note to try his best not to bend over, ever. Afterwards, she instructed him to sit down and wait for Lotor to return for him.

* * *

 

 The piercings weren't that bad. Having to wear something awfully revealing wasn't that bad. He would live through that. Then, Lotor felt the need to keep him around like some sort of pet. It was painfully embarrassing, when he felt the need to keep him with him when in the control room with his generals. They quickly learned to pay Keith no mind, but still, having to be around people in this state brought him enough shame to last him a life time. Most of the time, Lotor would keep him on the floor in between his legs, his head resting against his thigh. Usually he would play with his hair or scratch just behind his ears lazily as he went about his business. On a good day, like today, Keith would often find himself falling asleep.

 He'd never been one to have dreams very often, but he always had dreams when he fell asleep there. They were foggy, he was only vaguely aware of what was going on, but it always brought him such a light and happy feeling. The dreams where he found himself laying with his head on someone's chest, feeling their hand playing with his hair, hear their soft, familiar voice, telling him everything would be okay. It only took about two repeats of this dream for him to realize, it was Shiro. He recalled a time shortly before Shiro disappeared.

 He'd gone to talk to him late at night, and while there he ended up staying so long that when he finally got tired Shiro told him to just stay there with him. Maybe it was how tired he was, maybe it was that dumb crush he'd kept suppressing, whatever it was, he accepted and laid down with Shiro. It was awkward enough to begin with, and he was glad he remembered to take his shoes off before getting into bed this time. Even with how tired he'd been, Shiro still fell asleep before him, and half an hour later, Shiro had shifted in his sleep, and his arm draped over Keith. He had immediately gone tense, his face heating up as he blushed. He was soon able to relax though, but the position was just a tad bit weird, so he carefully pulled his arm from under Shiro's. This left his arm pretty much wrapped around his waist, and Keith found this ideal. For the first time in a while, he fell asleep peacefully, a smile on his face.

 In the morning Keith and Shiro woke up around the same time. The first thing Shiro did was sit up and apologize, saying it must've been uncomfortable to sleep like that. Keith had just smiled and shook his head, telling him it was fine, but things were still kind of awkward. It didn't help when he ran into Lance on his way out of Shiro's room, who immediately started questioning his bright red face and disheveled hair.

 He was disappointed to wake up, every time. He lifted his head and looked around tiredly, the disappointed look on his face becoming evident immediately as he laid his head back against Lotor's thigh.

 Later on when they were alone, Lotor had gently taken his chin and tilted his head up to look at him. Keith had to work hard to suppress the desire to kill him every time he touched him. 

 "Something seems to be troubling you. What is it, my pet?" He asked him. He looked genuinely concerned but Keith wouldn't even try to tell himself he really was.

 "Nothing's bothering me. I'm fine." He said tiredly.

 "I saw your face when you woke up earlier. If something is wrong let me know and I can try to fix it." He said.

 "You can't fix this Lo-... my prince..." He sighed, closing his eyes. Even if Lotor was being so much kinder to him now that he'd stopped fighting, he knew what would piss him off, and he wasn't prepared to do that.

 "I don't appreciate being lied to." The prince let go of his face and rather forcefully pulled him on to his lap, one arm around his waist, the other resting on his chest. He rested his head on Keith's shoulder, and it had to be obvious that he was pretty tense. 

 "I'm fine, my prince." He said seriously. He wanted him to let go of him, just leave him alone for a while. He could tell the prince was getting irritated. It had been a long time since he had last seen him lose his temper, but he didn't exactly want that right now. "I'd just... like to be alone for a little while. Can I go?" He asked, glancing at him. 

 "Is that all? You should've just said so before." Lotor placed a kiss on his neck that made his skin crawl. "Go ahead, I will come find you later." He let go of him. Keith stood up and hurried to leave the room, stopping at the door as he felt Lotor's eyes staring him down from across the room. He remembered he wanted to do whatever he could to stay on his good side and turned around. 

 "Thank you. My prince." He said before leaving the room. The first time Lotor let him roam the ship he thought he was stupid. Then he realized that this ship was absolutely crawling with guards. The only rooms he could get into were usually the one Lotor was in at the moment, or the room that Lotor had given him shortly after he gave in to him. Sometimes he couldn't even go with Lotor and was left wandering around by himself, or curled up in bed. Sometimes while he was wandering around he'd pass one of Lotor's generals. Was he intimidated by the four of them? Very. Was he also interested in all of them? Also very. He'd tried to stay out of their way anyway, just to be safe. 

 This time he made his way off to his own room and went inside, shutting the door. He would've liked to lock it but he knew that wasn't happening, the only lock was on the other side of the door, and only Lotor was able to open that. The room wasn't very large, and really the only thing in there of importance was a bed. It was more like a nest of blankets and pillows, and Keith would be lying if he said it wasn't super comfortable. There was a chest in the room too, filled with elaborate "clothes" like the kind he'd been wearing. Generally, everything was very revealing and very see through. Then there was a mirror just buy the chest.

 He went and laid down, curling up in the nest. If he ever got home he would have to figure out a way to make this kind of thing in his room. He didn't know how long he had until Lotor got bored and wanted him around again, so he knew he wouldn't have much time to think and sort through his thoughts.

 He had realized soon after surrendering that Lotor's behavior towards him were some kind of twisted form of love and affection. He'd started holding him close, hugging him around his waist, holding him on his lap, frequent kisses to his cheeks and neck and even shoulders. He'd tell him how beautiful he was, and he hardly ever touched him in a way that wasn't soft and gentle. But none of that meant anything when his wrists were still shackled, when he still had to be careful not to set him off, when he was still nothing more than a pet, a trophy. Sure it would look sweet if someone happened to see the prince with his arm around his waist, holding him close to him, but they couldn't feel the tight, possessive grip, they wouldn't feel how his grip just tightened when Keith tried to pull away. If he loved him, he wouldn't keep him like a prisoner. He wouldn't have tortured him, he wouldn't have punished him for not returning his feelings. Now, he was trying to give him everything he could to make up for that pain, but nothing could ever make up for what Lotor did to him.

* * *

  Lotor wasn't stupid. He knew that Keith was still on edge around him, he knew that Keith was still unhappy, and he knew that in the back of his mind, Keith was always ready to attack, he always /wanted/ to attack. And he didn't understand why. Lotor hadn't hurt him since he gave in. He'd gone against his father and his responsibilities to have the black paladin freed. He should've had him killed, seeing the way that his precious Little Red had looked at him, seeing him break and nearly beg for Lotor to help the man. He hated it, but he wanted Keith to be happy and comfortable with him. He understood that he may have been a little... put off by Lotor's methods of gaining his submission, but he'd been giving him everything he could, he gave him gifts, his love and affection, he just wanted to make it up to him. 

 He loved being close to him. He loved it when he sat on his lap, or when he would sit in between his legs while Lotor had brushed his hair out and pulled it back in a ponytail. It had gotten a bit longer since he'd arrived there, and he'd offered to have it cut, but Keith declined. He was so reserved, he hardly ever spoke to Lotor unless he said something to him first. He wouldn't ask for anything, he may complain if he was hungry or tired, but that was about it. He spent a lot of time either asleep, or staring off into the distance, clearly lost in his thoughts. No doubt they were thoughts of the black paladin, judging by that smile that would grace his normally cold and blank features. It enraged him, but he did want Keith to be happy with him, and if it made him happy to dream of the black paladin, he couldn't dare punish him.

* * *

 

 About a week after surrendering, Keith had managed to go back to his normal sleep schedule, and he was glad that for the most part, Lotor left him alone when he was asleep. He'd usually wake up early in that comfortable nest and get up, going to find something not awful to wear in that chest. When he got near it today though, he froze when he caught his reflection in the mirror. He looked completely normal except for one thing, and that was the purple splotches decorating his skin.

 Keith prided himself in being a stable, mature, brave person, who would only scream out of pain, and even then not everything got to him. But seeing those purple areas on his skin, that made him scream. 

They were too vivid of a violet color to be brushed off as bruises or something, no, his skin was definitely changing colors. Around his shoulders, his hips, and one spot on his cheek. He twisted around to try and look at his back, and in the mirror he caught a glimpse of a spot on his lower back as well. Lotor must have been nearby when he screamed because he suddenly burst into the room, a look of concern on his face.

 "Are you alright, my pet?" He asked as he approached him, but Keith instinctively backed away from him. 

 "Why is my skin turning purple?!" He snapped, covering his chest with his arms as he was starting to get nervous and uncomfortable. Lotor seemed to relax, and then smiled at him.

 "It sure took longer than I expected, but it looks like my little experiment is beginning to work." He'd had him backed against a wall now, but he didn't seem to be trying to intimidate him. 

 "What experiment?" He asked.

 "Remember when you first arrived here?" The prince asked, placing his hand on his cheek. "I wanted to give you a bit of a push towards your... better form, but I had thought it failed. I suppose it just needed time." He shrugged.

 "Make it stop!" Keith demanded. "I don't- This isn't, I'm not supposed to look like this!"

 "Of course you are. Once it progresses further, I'm sure you're going to look lovely." He brushed his hair back and leaned down, kissing his forehead. "Just relax my darling, everything will be just fine."

 Keith wasn't so sure about that.

* * *

  It had been a total of three and a half months since Keith had woken up there. Three weeks since he gave himself to Lotor. The spots of purple on his skin had increased, down his back, spots on his hands and wrists. He hated it. He'd tried begging Lotor to make it stop but the prince refused. He claimed he would give him almost anything he asked, aside from his freedom and aside from stopping this terrible transformation. It took him some time, but eventually Keith was able to come up with something. 

 Lotor had been particularly busy lately, so he had gone a few days without seeing Keith, which he was fine with. When he finally did have some free time, he called him to his own room, just to spend time alone with him. He generally didn't bring Keith into his room, the first time he had been terrified things would go south, but Lotor was surprisingly... innocent in the way he displayed his affection to him. Maybe it was because he just wanted to be alone for a short while with Keith. When he entered the room, he still couldn't get over just how /extra/ Lotor's room was. It was far too much for just one person, full of purple of course, and his bed was rather large. That was probably the only reason he didn't hate having to see Lotor there, that bed was incredibly comfortable. 

 They ended up just sitting there quietly for a long while. Keith had laid with his head in Lotor's lap, and the prince absentmindedly played with his hair. Honestly, Keith believed that he was almost just there to help Lotor calm down and relieve stress. He guessed being the heir to an empire, and having to worry about the remaining members of Voltron would probably be a little bit stressful. After a while of thinking it over, he turned his head and looked up at him.

 "My prince... There's something that I'd like..." He said slowly. Every time he called him "My prince" the words felt like acid in his mouth. He would live happily if he never said those words again.

 "Hm? What would you like my darling?" The prince asked, looking down at him, a content smile on his face.

 "I know I can't leave but... is there anyway to at least let them know I'm okay? They don't have to know where I am, I just want them to know I'm alive." He said. The look on his face told the prince he was very serious about this.

 "You mean the other paladins?" He asked, already starting to look bothered by this request. He nodded.

 "Just let them know I'm alive. That's it." He said. Lotor seemed to think about it before he sighed. 

 "Fine. As long as you're fine with me doing so however I wish." He said, and Keith agreed to that. He didn't care what he did, as long as he got in contact with the castle of lions.

* * *

 

 The four remaining paladins and Allura had gathered together in the common room, but the five of them were all pretty silent. They had already established that they had to find Keith. None of this made any sense to any of them though. They'd filled in Shiro when he'd returned but he didn't understand either. Keith left without telling them, they'd gotten up and found both him, and the black lion gone. All of them knew it, but none of them wanted to mention that he had most likely gone off looking for Shiro, again. They'd already tried to talk to him about going off alone, insisting that he either go with someone else, or just stay there since they needed their leader, but Keith was determined, they knew that he felt he was wasting every second that he didn't spend looking for Shiro.

 They were all pulled away from their thoughts when the large screen in the room suddenly lit up with a burst of static noise, causing them to jump and turn their attention to it. The static ceased and they were left with the clear image of Lotor, but for the most part, they didn't care about Lotor, they cared about their red paladin sitting at his feet. His head resting against this prince's leg, his eyes half lidded. There was clearly something off about him. Allura was the first to address Lotor, she stood up, her voice serious and steady when she spoke.

 "What do you want with Keith?" She asked. 

 "A hello would be nice, princess." Lotor said, stroking Keith's hair. 

 "What did you do to him?!" Pidge jumped up, demanding to know what was wrong with him. She knew that Keith could see them, she didn't understand how he just couldn't react to seeing them for the first time in months. He was staring blankly at the screen, blinking slowly. Shiro had been staring at the screen wide eyed, and he gently grabbed Pidge's arm and had her sit back down.

 "Nothing he didn't allow me to do." The prince said with a smirk.

 "I... I think he drugged him..." He told her quietly, unable to take his eyes off Keith. His eyes were glassy, his cheeks were bright red, he was breathing slowly and softly. 

 "Are those bruises? What happened to him?!" Lance asked, looking worried. He instinctively reached for Hunk's hand, just needing some form of comfort.

 "Of course not, he's simply growing into his galra form." The prince answered dismissively. "He requested that I let you all know that he's still alive. It was the least I could do for my dear pet." 

 "He's not your pet, Lotor." The princess said, narrowing her eyes. "And I assume you have the black lion as well?"

 "Why wouldn't I? The lion is my trophy, the paladin is my pet." He said rather proudly. "I'm sure you're going to want him back, but I will warn you now that would be dangerous for everyone involved. He tangled his fingers in Keith's hair and harshly yanked his head back, eliciting a soft, confused gasp from the dazed boy. He pressed a single clawed finger against his throat, just above the collar. "I don't particularly want to kill my new pet, so please do not make me."

* * *

 

 Lotor ended the call with that threat. He had only given Keith a small dose of the drug, mostly out of curiosity to how he'd behave. He knew he would be coming to soon and decided to just wait it out. He wouldn't lie, he did prefer Keith in this drugged up state. He was so relaxed, and easy to order around. He talked a lot more, mostly senseless babbling as he couldn't process his thoughts into words very well. Every now and then he would let out a breathy "My prince", clinging to him in some way. Lotor thought he would be happy with Keith if he just surrendered to him, but he was loving it so much more as he was mindlessly obedient, almost entirely dependent on the prince. He could hardly stand without holding on to him for support. 

 Keith began to come to soon after he ended the call. He looked tired and confused, blinking slowly as he looked around. 

 "How do you feel my pet?" The prince asked him, carefully pulling him up and having him sit on his lap. 

 "I... my head hurts..." He murmured, reluctantly leaning his head against his chest and closing his eyes. He felt tired, he honestly just wanted to lay down. He didn't even remember coming to the control room with him. Last he remembered was waking up in the prince's bed and that was about it. Everything between then and now was foggy. His thoughts were still pretty confused, he really wanted to fall asleep. 

 "You can rest now. I've let them know you're safe here with me." Lotor kissed the top of his head, knowing he would most likely pass out moments from now, the drug surely having taken it's toll on his body.

 

* * *

 Lotor experimented with the drug more than he intended to. At some point he started to get Keith to take it willingly, all he had to do was tell him it would be better for him if he did. Keith was hardly ever sober now. When he was, his head was pounding and he found it impossible to stay awake.

 The prince took advantage of his impressionable state. He fed him all the lies he could think of. He'd been abandoned by the other paladins, Lotor was the only one who cared about him, the only one who could protect him. He believed every word. He'd only regretted lying to him once.  He'd made the mistake when he told him the black paladin specifically had expressed great disdain for him, had claimed that he couldn't care any less about Keith than he already did, that he /hated/ him. Every other lie Keith had accepted with a slow nod and a sad murmur of understanding before finding comfort in Lotor's embrace. This however got him a very different reaction. 

 For the first time in that state, his expression changed. Lotor had never seen such a look of pure heartbreak before. And then he started to cry. It wasn't a simple, soft cry, it was harsh, body wracking sobs. Lotor had attempted to calm him but it didn't seem to help any. He watched his pet curl up on the floor, pulling at his own hair, sobbing, and the only words Lotor could get out of his senseless babbling was, "I  _loved_  him!". The prince had expected anger at most, not /this/. It confused him as to why he would react like this. 

 When he'd finally calmed down, only softly whimpering now, Lotor had helped him off the floor and held him on his lap. He played with his hair and spoke softly to try and calm him. 

 "It'll be okay, Little Red. Your prince is here for you now."

* * *

 It was normal for Pidge to stay up late, usually trying to track down her family or working on some sort of project. Tonight she'd taken on the task of trying to track down Lotor, which was proving harder than she thought. She heard the door behind her slide open but didn't think anything of it. 

 "You have to get some sleep sometime." Shiro said as he approached her. She only replied with a disinterested "Mhm", her eyes never leaving the screen. Shiro sighed and leaned against her chair. There was a long silence between them before Pidge spoke.

 "He spent a lot of time looking for you. It's only right someone do the same for him." She said. "Besides," She finally looked at him. "I know you want to get him back safely, as soon as possible." 

 "Of course I do. He's part of the team, we need him." Shiro said, trying to stay professional about this. Pidge's lips curled into a knowing smile as she turned back to the screen.

 "Oh, just for the team huh?" She said as she worked. "You can't fool me, Lance told me how he ran into Keith leaving your room one morning. He said his face was all red and his hair was all messy. He was pretty flustered too when Lance asked him about it." Even in the most serious of times, Pidge could never resist teasing those around her.

 "What- That wasn't- He just slept there!" Shiro said quickly.

 "Ooh, so you two did sleep together~" She giggled, getting a groan in response. 

 "He was tired, so I let him sleep there for the night. It was totally innocent!" He said. 

 "Mhmmm. Whatever you say Shiro." She snickered. They were distracted from their conversation by a sudden loud beeping, and Pidge's eyes went wide. 

 "What is it?" He asked, leaning down to get a better look. 

 "That's Lotor's ship." She said, pointing at a single red dot on the map. "If I can keep this signal, we should be able to catch up with him." She looked up at Shiro excitedly. "We found him!"

* * *

 Loud crashing and rough shaking of the ship wasn't enough to shake Keith out of his drugged up state. He was curled up in his bed and all he could think was, "That's annoying, I hope my prince makes it stop."

 That's how brainwashed he was when he was like that.

 He didn't move from his spot, just closed his eyes and tried to ignore all the noise. The sirens were especially annoying. He didn't open his eyes until he heard the door to the room slide open. He sat up, expecting to see Lotor, but instead he saw two figures, and it took him a moment to recognize them. Paladins. Green and Blue. They entered the room with their weapons ready, looking around. He chose to try to and stay quiet and still and hoped they would over look him. He listened to their footsteps getting closer and closer until they inevitably found him curled up among all these blankets and pillows.

 "Holy..." The green paladin breathed out, and they both lowered their weapons. 

 "We found him!" The blue paladin exclaimed, and the others could most likely hear it through their helmets. He reached down and grabbed one of Keith's hands, trying to pull him up. Keith wanted to resist but he was too weak and the blue paladin easily pulled him to his feet. He fell almost immediately but the blue paladin held him up, looking at the green one. "Pidge, you'll need to help me carry him back to Red." He told her, and they each managed to hold him up and lead him out of the room.

 "N...no, you... you're not... I want my prince..." He said breathlessly, wanting desperately to fight and protest.

 "Christ, what did they do to you?" The green paladin, Pidge, asked. He couldn't even focus on what she said, all he could think of was Lotor's warnings. The paladins didn't want him on their team, they were glad to be rid of a filthy Galra like him, they would only hurt him if they found him. He tried weakly to pull away from them but they held on tightly. 

 "Keith we're /helping/ you, stop trying to fight it." The blue paladin told him, looking frustrated. He didn't have much choice but to give in, he was too weak to fight or get away. They managed to get him onto the waiting Lion, and Keith found it strangely... comforting to be there. "Pidge, see if you can get those cuffs off him." He said as he took the pilot's seat. Pidge had to have him sit on the cold floor since he couldn't support himself, and after a long while she managed to unlock them, Keith's arms falling limply at his sides. 

 "Keith, buddy, you're going to be safe with us." She said softly when she noticed the confused and frightened look on his face. "I don't know what that freak did to you, but you're going to be safe. Shiro, Hunk, and Allura found the black Lion, we're going home now." Her words didn't seem to make him feel any better, and eventually the blue paladin told her to give up. 

 He drifted in and out of consciousness, remembering Lotor's warnings, barely listening in to the conversation of the other two paladins. By the time they'd arrived back at the castle, Keith was lost within his own mind again, which did make it easier for them to drag him to a healing pod. The last image he had was of the other paladins surrounding the pod, looking at him with concerned faces, and he was absolutely  _terrified_.

* * *

   Shiro had insisted everyone get some rest after this mission, so much later in the night he was the only one left in the infirmary, sitting in front of Keith's pod. He couldn't stop staring up at him, despite the fact he was filled with dread when he did so. The purple spots around his body had increased, covering his arms up to just above his elbows, covering more of his chest and starting on his feet and legs. What looked like scars from a brutal whipping decorated his chest. Shiro knew he didn't have any piercings before, and they still had to do something about that collar.

 After a quick scan, Coran was able to tell them that the collar wasn't just locked around his neck, but there were rather thin needles on the inside pressed into his neck. Probably for uses of control or torture. He was also able to tell them that there were high levels of a rather obscure alien drug in his system. They found Keith with no injuries so for the most part he would be spending a good three days in the pod to rid the toxic drug from his body. 

 Shiro couldn't get the image of him drugged and helpless against Lotor out of his head. It was horrible to see the person he cared about most broken like that, being treated as some kind of trophy for the galra prince. He hoped Keith would be in his right mind when he finally emerged from that pod. Lance and Pidge told him just how terrified he seemed to be of them all, and he wasn't sure he could handle seeing Keith looking at him like that.

* * *

 By day three they had all crowded around the pod, waiting for him to finally emerge. Coran had warned them that he'd most likely be suffering withdrawals and he probably wouldn't be able to remember what was real and what was a lie fed to him by Lotor. His head would clear up eventually, he just needed time.

 When it finally slid open Shiro was right there to catch him as he came stumbling out. He fell into his arms and actually seemed to relax, blinking slowly. The others all crowded around them, each equally concerned, but relieved that he was finally out. He looked around tiredly before he seemed to realize where he was. He quickly shoved Shiro back, stumbling away from him. He was still rather unsteady though so he ended up just falling, pushing his back up against the pod. 

 "Keith, calm down, you're okay now." Shiro said slowly, trying to reassure him. 

 "Stay away from me!" He snapped, his eyes darting around frantically.

 "Keith, its us, we aren't going to hurt you..." Lance told him. Shiro knelt down in front of him and tried to grab his hands so he could pull him back up, but Keith was still too on edge, he snatched his hand away, only to attempt to actually punch Shiro in the face. Shiro managed to catch his fist in his hand though, and almost immediately Keith stopped struggling, staring at Shiro with wide, terrified eyes.

 "Please... don't hurt me..." He said quietly. "Just let me go home, please...."

 "This  _is_  your home, Keith." Hunk told him. Shiro pulled him to his feet, letting go of his hands to hold on to his arm.

 "Shiro... maybe you should take him to his room, he still needs to rest a bit." Allura told him. "And uh... make sure he stays there? Just in case, he's in no shape to be running around." 

 "Sure thing Princess..." He said, glancing at Keith. As he led him out of the infirmary, he noticed Keith wouldn't even look at him. He kept his head low as they walked, and he could tell he was trembling. He also noticed just how much thinner he was than before, and made a mental note to ask Hunk to make him some food later. It wasn't until they got to his room that Keith started struggling again, trying his hardest to resist going inside.

 "Let me go!" He shouted, trying to get his arm free from him. 

 "Keith, stop it!" He grabbed his shoulders, leaning down so they were face to face. "Don't you remember? We're your friends, what are you so scared of?" 

 "You!" He snapped. "I  _hate_  you! I know you're only going to hurt me!"

 "Why would I hurt you?! Keith, I care about you so much, please, just calm down." 

 "Stop lying to me!" The poor boy looked close to tears at this point. "I just want to go home... please... stop lying and let me go..." Shiro sighed, finally pulling him into the room. 

 "Keith... you need to get some sleep, okay? Get some rest, when you wake up you should remember everything." He guided him to his bed and had him sit down. "Just try it, okay?" He gave him a reassuring smile. Keith hesitated before he sighed, laying down. Shiro sat down on the edge of the bed, mostly because he wanted to make sure he actually went to sleep.

 "Why are you being nice to me...?" He asked quietly after a long while.

 "Because I care about you." 

 "He... he said you didn't..."

 "He lied, Keith." He turned and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Go to sleep. It'll be clear when you wake up." Keith nodded slowly, before closing his eyes. Shiro stayed with him until he knew for sure he'd fallen asleep.

* * *

 

 Keith woke up to a familiar headache and general sense of confusion. It was the first time in a while where he woke up not under the influence or suffering withdrawals from some kind of drug. He sat up tiredly, pushing his hair back and looking around. This definitely wasn't his room on Lotor's ship. The dim blue lights were clue enough, but there was also the fact he was in his normal bed. Looking around, he saw his clothes folded neatly at the foot of his bed, and he slowly got up. He was still in the see through "clothes" he'd been wearing while on Lotor's ship.

 He gladly discarded the sheer cloth wrapped around his waist and put on his normal clothes. He was just pulling on his gloves when the door to his room slid open, causing him to jump and quickly turn around. He relaxed when he saw it was just Shiro, who approached him slowly, cautiously.

 "Hey... do you feel any better?" He asked softly. 

 "I... think so? My head is killing me." He sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Shiro came and sat down next to him. 

 "Do you remember waking up from the pod?" He asked, and Keith shook his head slowly.

 "I don't even remember leaving Lotor's ship..." He ran his hand through his hair, trying hard to remember /anything/.

 "Thankfully you weren't really injured when we found you... according to Pidge and Lance, you actually didn't want to leave."

 "What? That's insane, I was dying to get out of there." He frowned, even more confused now.

 "It was probably because of whatever he'd been drugging you with. Coran called it Arithium or something like that. He said its usually used for controlling and brainwashing people." 

 "Fantastic." He muttered sarcastically. "Guess that explains why I feel like I've been blacked out for the last couple of weeks, every time I wasn't high on that stuff he'd be insisting I drink this weird purple stuff and I'd just black out all over again." 

 "You were... terrified when we came to get you. Even when we thought you were healed you were scared of us all."

 "I don't remember any of that... I'm sorry..." He looked up at him. 

 "You don't need to apologize." Shiro put his hand on his shoulder. "We're just glad to have you back." He smiled at him.

 "And I'm glad to have you back... Are you okay?" He looked worried now. "You got back fine, right?"

 "Yeah... it was really weird though... someone just let me go." Keith seemed to relax. 

 "Good... so he didn't lie to me about that..." He murmured, more to himself. 

 "What do you mean?" Shiro asked, and Keith realized he really didn't want to have to tell him that he had willingly surrendered to the prince.

 "Well... I... uh..." He sighed. "Lotor... offered to use his power to let you go..." He hoped that would be enough of an explanation.

 "What did he want in return?" Shiro asked slowly. 

 "Well... if... he said if I... gave myself to him... he would do it..." He stared at his lap, unable to look him in the eye.

 "Keith... why would you..."

 "I wanted you to be safe, Shiro. He... he showed me, you were in so much pain, and I just, I couldn't say no..." Shiro gently grabbed his face and tilted his head so he would look at him, causing him to almost flinch just remembering how Lotor would do the same.  

 "Keith, do you even realize how much danger you put your self in? He could've lied to you! Then we both would've been at the mercy of the Galra!" He seemed far more worried than angry at him, but that didn't mean Keith felt any less horrible. 

 "I know! But I wanted you to be safe, I was willing to risk it!" He told him. Shiro sighed, shaking his head. 

 "You need to be more careful. We can't keep losing paladins like this."

 "I know... but... I can't keep losing you..." He reached up, gently placing his hand on Shiro's cheek. "You have no idea how much I care about you."

 "Just... promise me you'll be more careful from now on... please?" He asked him. 

 "Okay... I promise..." Keith sighed, looking down as he pulled his hand away. They sat in silence for a long while, before Shiro gently grabbed his hand.

 "Come on, I'm sure the others will want to see you now that you feel better." He said with a comforting smile. Keith couldn't help but smile slightly back at him.

 "Alright. Let's go."

* * *

 

  Keith thought that being home would make everything okay. He thought that he could put it all past him, forget that anything with Lotor ever happened. His mind seemed to have different ideas. 

 He put up with the nightmares the first two nights. He was able to handle them, and calm down from the panic attack on his own. The third time, he screamed at the wrong time, and soon enough Shiro was in his room, trying to figure out what was wrong. He found Keith curled up in the corner of his bed, knees pulled up to his chest, and fingers tangled in his own hair. His eyes were wide as tears streaked down his face, and he was so lost in his panic that he didn't even notice Shiro until he gently pulled his hands away from his head.

 "Keith? Calm down, what's wrong?" He asked softly.

 "I-I'm fine, don't worry." He said quickly, trying to pretend he hadn't been screaming and crying only seconds ago. He pulled his hands from Shiro's and tried to wipe his tears away. 

 "You aren't fine..." He sat down next to him and carefully pulled him close, his arms wrapped around his shoulders. "Was it a nightmare...?"

 "... Yeah..." He said softly after some hesitation. "I... I guess I'm still a little messed up... from him..." Keith couldn't help but relax in his arms, resting his head against his chest.

 "He can't hurt you anymore... I'd never let him near you again..." He told him. 

 "That doesn't stop the nightmares... I hate him... I hate what he did... I hate that I was weak."

 "Keith... you weren't weak... you survived, didn't you?"

 "I only survived because I gave up. We both know it was the worst idea." Shiro sighed.

 "It was a bad idea... but it did keep you alive, and that's whats important." He let go of him, placing his hands on his shoulders. "I'm glad you're alive, and now you're okay. Nothing's going to hurt you here." He said seriously. Keith stared up at him for only a moment before hugging him tightly, only relaxing when he hugged him back.

 "Thank you, Shiro..."

* * *

 

 When Shiro had decided to roam the castle when he couldn't sleep, he had expected to run into Keith at some point. Then again, it had been only about a week since he'd gotten back, so he probably wanted to catch up on all the sleep he must've missed. Still, he wanted to be sure so when he came around to his room, he softly knocked on the door. He wasn't expecting a response but moments later the door slid open, Keith standing there in front of him. Shiro had gotten used to the whole Galra thing by now, but it still kind of amazed him to see how much of his skin had turned purple. As far as he knew, the only part that had left to change color was most of the left side of his face. He also wasn't sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him, or if Keith's ears were starting to look a little different. 

 "Hey, everything alright?" He asked, already letting Shiro in. 

 "Yeah, I just couldn't sleep." He said as he entered the room. He couldn't help but notice that he had a rather large assortment of blankets and pillows covering his bed.  "Did you hunt down all the blankets and pillows around the castle?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. 

 "... Maybe." Keith went over to his bed, adjusting them into some kind of soft, comfy nest of blankets and pillows. "I just wanted to try something." He shrugged. 

 "Okay then." He walked over to watch him work. He couldn't help but look to his neck, where there was a darkened ring where the collar had once been. They pretty much had to break it off of him, which was difficult when there were literal needles involved. Keith put up with it though, barely winced while they removed it.

 When he finally seemed satisfied he looked up at Shiro. 

 "Wanna stay in here with me for tonight...?" He looked ready to crawl into bed, despite still wearing his normal clothes, which wasn't unusual for him. 

 "Sure. But first you need to stop sleeping in your clothes." He smiled. Keith smiled back.

 "Fine, I'll change, then we can go to bed." He said, walking past Shiro so he could change. Once he'd gotten into his pajamas- which he'd never noticed just how soft they were, probably because he never wore them- he pulled Shiro down into his little nest with him, smiling contently as they got comfortable. They ended up in pretty much the same position as the last time they slept together. It was comfortable, and Keith had the happiest, most relaxed smile he'd seen in a long time, but he still was worried about making him uncomfortable.

 "Are... are you sure it's okay we sleep like this...?" He asked. 

 "I wouldn't have it any other way." He replied quietly. After a while he turned on to his other side so they were face to face and opened his eyes. "Is it too late for me to tell you how much I like you...? Because I like you a lot... and I really want little more than this..." 

 "I... I like you a lot too... I care about you very much." He told him, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

 "No, Shiro. We... we've known each other long enough. I love you." He said seriously, his cheeks a light pink. Shiro would be lying if he said he wasn't shocked. He'd also be lying if he said he didn't feel the same. They'd been close for so long, how could he not? 

 "Keith... I... I love you too..." He smiled. Keith leaned up, gently pressing his lips against his. It was a quick, short kiss, but it wasn't any less perfect, and he pulled away with a sweet smile on his face.

 "Goodnight, Takashi..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew that was somethin'. Might update again to add links into this note if I do some drawings like I wanted.


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